Director of Operations (Full-time, Permanent)

Job Title: Director of Operations (Full-time, Permanent)

Location: Our office is in Toronto, Ontario, with flexible and hybrid work options available.

Reports to: Chief Operations Officer

Manages: IT (3 staff), Administration (1 staff), Facilities (1 staff), and/or contractors

Hiring Range: $115,000 - $125,000 annually, including a comprehensive benefits plan, pension plan, 3 weeks paid vacation, increasing to 4 weeks paid vacation in your second year of employment, a December break (usually a week) to recharge, wellness days, access to an Employee Assistance Program and professional development opportunities

Facility: 3-storey, 13,000 sq ft owned building (Head Office + Community Food Centre)

Job Posting Closing Date: We encourage candidates to apply by March 26, 2026. This posting is open until filled.

About us:

At the heart of Right To Food’s work is the belief that food is a basic right. We bring people together around good food so communities can thrive. With more than 450 partners across the country, we build inclusive, culturally responsive Community Food Centres, share knowledge, create health-focused programs, and advocate for equitable policy change.

At Right To Food, we work on behalf of good food for all. Our collective approach at Right To Food is founded on dignity and respect, equity and empathy. These values are core to our mission and outlined in our Good Food Principles.

Right To Food is strongly committed to equity and inclusion within its community. We welcome applications from members of racialized groups, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities and others with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities.

We are committed to an equitable and inclusive selection process and work environment, and welcome candidates to speak about how their experience has demonstrated a commitment to Equity, Inclusion, Reconciliation and Anti-Oppression.

About the Position:

The Director of Operations is a senior leadership role responsible for ensuring the organization runs smoothly, safely, and sustainably, today and into the future. This role oversees core operational functions including IT, administration, facilities management, risk management, emergency planning, and organizational planning, and plays a key role in budget development, annual planning, and longer-term strategic planning.

Working closely with the Chief Operating Officer and other Operations Leaders (Finance, HR), the Director of Operations helps translate strategy into systems, processes, and plans that support staff, programs, and the communities we serve. This is a highly collaborative role for someone who enjoys both big-picture thinking and rolling up their sleeves to make things work well.

Key Responsibilities:

Organizational Operations & Leadership

• Provide overall leadership for the organization’s operational functions, ensuring systems, policies, and processes support effective, efficient, and values-aligned work.
• Lead operational planning and continuous improvement initiatives, including digital transformation efforts such as workflow automation, data management enhancements, and the adoption of appropriate emerging technologies.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and performance management for the Operations portfolio, including managers across IT, facilities, administration, and operations.
• Partner with the COO and senior leadership team on organizational priorities, decision-making, and change management.
• Act as a thought partner on operational aspects of organizational design, capacity planning, systems integration and long-term sustainability.

Facilities Management, Security & Emergency Planning

• Oversee the management of the organization’s owned building, ensuring it is safe, accessible, and well-maintained.
• Lead emergency preparedness and response planning for staff, programs, and the facility, including fire, medical, severe weather, and other contingencies.
• Manage security systems and infrastructure, including alarm systems, access control, surveillance, and secure entry procedures.
• Ensure controlled access to the building and sensitive areas, and maintain secure key/fob/PIN systems.
• Oversee the organization’s asset management system (Asset Panda), ensuring all assets are accurately tracked, maintained, and updated to support operational efficiency and accountability.
• Coordinate maintenance, inspections, and compliance related to building safety, health, and security standards.
• Oversee relationships with external contractors, service providers, and vendors for facilities and security systems, in partnership with the COO and Finance, including contract management and performance oversight.
• Support organizational continuity through proactive risk assessment and contingency planning.

Annual Planning & Strategic Planning

• Under the direction of the COO, play a lead role in coordinating and advancing the organization-wide annual planning process ensuring operational inputs, timelines, and dependencies are clearly defined.
• Work with departmental leads and functional leads to translate strategic priorities into operational plans, timelines, and budgets.
• Support multi-year strategic planning by providing operational insight, risk analysis, and capacity planning.
• Track progress against annual plans using clear performance indicators, dashboards, and operational tools, and support data-informed adjustments as needed throughout the year.

Budgeting & Financial Planning (in collaboration with Finance)

• Develop and manage the annual budgets for facilities, IT, staffing, and shared services in consultation with COO and Finance.
• Support long-term financial and capital planning related to the building and organizational growth.
• Monitor operational spending and ensure alignment with approved budgets.

Information Technology / Information Systems

• Ensure IT systems and initiatives align with organizational priorities, governance frameworks and organizational policy, and risk tolerance established by senior leadership.
• Provide strategic oversight of all IT systems and infrastructure, ensuring they meet organizational needs, support staff productivity, and are secure.
• Lead cybersecurity initiatives to protect organizational data, networks, and digital assets from internal and external threats.
• Assess and manage IT-related risks across the organization, including privacy, compliance, and operational continuity.
• Address the organizational implications of new technologies, including AI, to enhance operations while mitigating risk.
• Partner with staff across departments to ensure technology supports programs, communications, and administrative efficiency.
• Manage IT vendors, contracts, and projects to maintain scalable, cost-effective, and future-ready systems.

Risk Management & Compliance

• Lead organizational risk management within the Operations portfolio including health and safety, insurance (CGL, Cyber, D&O, Operation, Event), policies, and regulatory compliance.
• Oversee business continuity planning and emergency preparedness for both staff and facilities.
• Support the COO and senior leadership team with operational risk identification, mitigation strategies, and reporting as required.

Administration & Governance Support

• Ensure strong administrative systems, records management, and internal controls.
• Support governance needs by contributing operational reporting, policies, and planning materials as requested by the COO or senior leadership.

Values Alignment

• Align with Right To Food values and contribute to the evolution of our culture, and a work environment that is grounded in Equity, Courage, Relationship-focused and Integrity.

Qualifications & Skills:

• Significant leadership experience in operations, typically acquired through 7+ years of progressive responsibility, ideally in a nonprofit, public, or mission-driven organization, or in another sector with demonstrated alignment to organizational purpose.
• Experience overseeing multiple functional areas (e.g., facilities, IT, administration, risk management, planning, security, digital systems), with the ability to lead through others and ensure integrated, effective service delivery.
• Strong experience with organizational planning, budgeting, and cross-departmental coordination.
• A systems-oriented leader with the ability to view the organization holistically and understand how the pieces fit together and contribute to overall effectiveness.
• Experience leading change initiatives, systems implementation, or process improvement in complex environments.
• Experience managing facilities, security, and IT infrastructure is an asset.
• Experience advancing digital systems, cybersecurity awareness, or responsible technology adoption (including emerging tools such as AI) is an asset Demonstrated commitment to equity-informed decision-making and inclusive operational leadership.
• Proven ability to lead through complexity, growth, or organizational change.
• Excellent communication skills with a strong ability to build collaborative, trust-based relationships and clarity across teams.
• Formal training or certification in project management, process improvement (e.g. PMP/Lean/Six Sigma), or equivalent experience is an asset.
• Ability balancing strategy with practical execution.
• Alignment with non-profit values and is motivated by community impact.
• Digital fluency and adaptability, with the capacity to navigate evolving tools, systems, and workflows in a fast-paced organizational context.
• Passionate about working in an organization that values and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and that strives to work from an anti-racism and anti-oppression framework.

Preferred:

• Comfort using Google Workspace (or similar tools), project management software like ClickUp, and CRM platforms (we use Salesforce), along with openness to learning new digital tools and workflows.

Organizational Competencies:

• Thinks analytically and from a systems perspective: Strong analytical skills and the ability to connect the dots across the organization to leverage opportunities and integrations.
• Has an open and positive mindset: Is solutions-oriented and approaches challenges and opportunities with an open and positive mindset.
• Committed to equity and inclusion: Experience and commitment to working in an organization that values and embeds Equity, Inclusion, Reconciliation and Anti Oppression/Access into its organizational culture, policies and practices. Demonstrated through continuous development, modeling inclusive behaviors, and proactively managing bias
• Seeks continuous learning and improvement: Consistently seeks to strengthen individual, team and organizational learning, through both professional development and attuning to change and innovation within the specific field of the role.
• Inspires courage & innovation: Models and enables creative thinking, curiosity, and calculated risk taking to create, suggest, and inspire new solutions.
• Cultivates strong relationships: Builds strong and trusting relationships and brings a community-centric mindset and focus to all elements of the organization.
• Drives operational excellence: Leverages organizational insights, financial acumen, and operational rigor to maximize productivity and build long-term, sustainable success.
• Contributes to leadership & culture: Brings authenticity, emotional intelligence and accountability to help develop leadership effectiveness in individuals, teams, and organizational culture.
• Values alignment: Align with Right To Food values and contribute to the evolution of our culture, and a work environment that is grounded in equity, courage, integrity and that is relationship-focused.

You don’t think you meet all the criteria? Still apply. Research shows that women and people from equity deserving groups, often do not apply until all the boxes are ticked.

Why work for us?

We offer:

➔ Comprehensive benefits package including extended health, dental, life insurance, short and long-term disability insurance, membership in a defined benefit pension plan, 15 paid vacation days in your first year, increasing to 20 paid vacation days in your second year of employment, a December break (usually a week) to recharge, wellness days, access to an Employee Assistance Program and professional development opportunities.

➔ a culture of mutual support where staff are committed to creating an equitable and inclusive Canada.

➔ an opportunity to be part of a movement building health, belonging and social justice in marginalized neighbourhoods across Canada through the power of food.

How to apply:

Please attach your resume and cover letter. In your cover letter, please share what you think makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Only those applicants being considered will be contacted. If you require any accommodations or technical support, please email work@righttofood.ca (please do not email your application to this email). Thank you for your interest in Right To Food.